After missing the start of Milwaukee's training camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to join the team in Miami this weekend.

• Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters Friday that Antetokounmpo was set to fly in from Greece Friday night and would be reporting to training camp Saturday ahead of the Bucks' preseason opener Monday against the Heat.

  A two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star, Antetokounmpo, 30, is coming off his third straight season in which he averaged over 30 points per game along with 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks. Over 859 career games (794 starts), he's averaged 23.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

  Milwaukee enters the 2025-26 season with a slightly reshaped roster, waiving point guard Damian Lillard after he tore his Achilles in last year's playoffs. The Bucks signed center Myles Turner (15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game last season) to give Giannis another established big to play alongside.

  --Field Level Media

Josh Hart was injured and ejected on the same play in the Knicks' exhibition win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

• Hart, who is wearing a split on his right ring finger following surgery, came down with a rebound and landed awkwardly trying to avoid a tie-up with 76ers forward Kennedy Chandler and went to the ground in pain in front of the 76ers bench.

  After grabbing his third rebound of the game in seven minutes of court time, Hart went to the floor and fired the ball across the court and into the stands, prompting referees to eject him from the game.

  "I didn't see him go down," new Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "I saw him down and he looked like he was in considerable pain when he was down. He's day-to-day. We'll see how he feels tomorrow."

  The Knicks won the game 99-84. The teams will play again Saturday (11 a.m. ET).

  Brown said the Knicks will list Hart's injury as "lower back soreness."

  The Knicks reiterated the injury is not considered serious.

  --Field Level Media

On the day the NBA preseason kicked off, the Golden State Warriors signed their starting center.

• Al Horford is officially in the fold with as of Thursday, signing a two-year deal -- which includes a player option for next season -- as he enters his 19th season in the league. Multiple outlets reported the contract has a total value of $12 million.

  Horford, 39, verbally committed to sign with Golden State last week, but the transaction was delayed as restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga weighed multiple contract offers from the Warriors.

  He finally opted for the two-year, $48.5 million deal this week, setting the books for Golden State to add Horford and free agent guard Seth Curry.

  One of four players in NBA history with 900 made 3-pointers and 1,300 blocks along with Rasheed Wallace, Brook Lopez and Clifford Robinson, Horford should blend in nicely with the Warriors' core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green. The veteran 6-foot-9, 240-pound center has shot 40.9 percent from beyond the arc and drained more than 100 3-pointers in each of the past three seasons.

  Kuminga, 22, was seeking a player option instead of a team option, but the Warriors stood firm. The framework of the contract frees Kuminga to hit the open market with no strings attached in two years instead of three at age 24.

  Reports of interest in a trade focused on suitors in the conference -- Sacramento and Phoenix -- but the Warriors did not entertain sign-and-trade possibilities.

  It took time for the seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft to work into the Warriors' rotation, as Kuminga mostly came off the bench as a rookie on the most recent Golden State team to win a championship.

  Last season with the Celtics, Horford -- a five-time All-Star -- started 42 of 60 games and averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while connecting on 36.3 percent of his 3-point attempts.

  Over his 18 seasons, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Atlanta Hawks has averaged 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range in 1,138 games (1,078 starts).

  Horford spent his first nine seasons with Atlanta (2007-16), then joined the Celtics for three seasons (2016-19) before playing one season apiece for the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2020-21). Named to the 2017-18 All-Defensive Team, he rejoined Boston for the 2021-22 season.

  In 258 regular-season games (84 starts), Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. That included 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds over 47 games (10 starts) in 2024-25, when he missed two months with an ankle injury.

  --Field Level Media

Heat forward Nikola Jovic signed a four-year extension with Miami worth a reported $62.4 million, his agents told ESPN.

• Jovic averaged 10.7 points in 2024-25 with the Heat, his third NBA season, and was entering the final year of his rookie deal. He joined Miami as the No. 27 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

  Jovic, 22, is expected to play a bigger role in Miami with shooting guard Tyler Herro on the mend from left foot surgery that involved removing a bone. Herro said Monday he told head coach Erik Spoelstra he would be on the court and game-ready in six weeks, ahead of a timeline from Miami of 8-12 weeks post-op.

  Jovic said at team media day his goals to start the season include breaking into the starting lineup.

  "I want to earn the starting spot," Jovic said. "I want to show people I can start. I can play, that I deserve the starting spot."

  Jovic said he played better at times last season coming off the bench but is eager for an expanded role.

  Herro sees a big season ahead for his sidekick.

  "I'm really excited to play with Niko, to see how he rises his game. I expect him to have a tremendous season," Herro said.

  Herro's contract extension window ends Oct. 20. He's eligible for a three-year, $149.7 million extension but if the deadline passes the sides can't officially sign a new deal until 2026, when he can push a four-year deal to a maximum of $206.9 million.

  --Field Level Media

The Philadelphia 76ers re-signed guard Quentin Grimes, a restricted free agent, on Wednesday to a reported one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer, his agent David Bauman told ESPN.

• The 76ers did not disclose contract terms in announcing the signing on Wednesday evening.

  After the two sides were far apart in negotiations for a multiyear contract, per recent ESPN reports, Grimes is back but now has veto power over all trades this coming season and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer when the market for free agents is expected to be more lucrative, per ESPN.

  The NBA deadline for qualifying offers is 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

  Grimes, 25, was traded to Philadelphia from the Dallas Mavericks in February, leading a banged-up 76ers squad with 23.0 points per game after the All-Star break. A first-round pick (25th overall) in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, he wrapped up a four-year, $11.1 million rookie contract at the end of last season.

  Bauman told ESPN that the 76ers waited nearly three months into free agency to make their first formal proposal on Sept. 24 with a four-year, $39 million offer. Another offer was for one-year and $8.8 million -- a $100,000 increase from his qualifying offer that would waive an inherent no-trade clause.

  Grimes' side declined and responded with a one-year deal for $17 million with a waiver of the no-trade clause and offered a two-year contract at $34 million with a player option, Bauman said. Philadelphia rejected those offers, the agent said.

  Grimes has averaged 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 24.5 minutes per game in 243 regular-season games (127 starts) with the New York Knicks (2021-24), Detroit Pistons (2024), Mavericks (2024-25) and 76ers. He has made 37.5 percent of his 3-point attempts over four NBA seasons. He averaged career bests with 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals combined with the Mavericks and Sixers last season.

  Philadelphia is dealing with injury issues on its roster, including at guard with Jared McCain to be reevaluated in about four weeks following thumb surgery on Tuesday. McCain tore the UCL in his right thumb during an offseason workout on Sept. 25.

  The 76ers have rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick of the 2025 draft out of Baylor and now have Grimes, per Wednesday's report.

  --Field Level Media

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks following thumb surgery.

• McCain, who tore the UCL in his right thumb during an offseason workout on Sept. 25, had the procedure Tuesday.

  A four-week absence would sideline McCain, 21, for the first four or five games of the regular season.

  The Sixers' first preseason game is on Thursday against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi.

  McCain, the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Duke, received an NBA Rookie of the Year vote despite playing in just 23 games (eight starts) prior to sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

  He was averaging 15.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent from distance, when he was injured Dec. 13, 2024, against Indiana. He also recorded 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per contest last season.

  Philadelphia, which is coming off an injury-marred 24-58 campaign, opens the new season Oct. 22 at the Boston Celtics.

  In McCain's absence, the 76ers could turn to rookie VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick of the 2025 draft out of Baylor, or fifth-year guard Quentin Grimes. A restricted free agent, Grimes has signed a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer to return for this season, his agent David Bauman told ESPN on Wednesday.

  --Field Level Media

The Golden State Warriors are prepared to reunite two sharpshooting brothers as Seth Curry agreed to a one-year deal with the team to play alongside Stephen Curry, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.

• Seth Curry reportedly is arriving on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, which would permit him to work with the club throughout training camp. However, he subsequently would have to be waived before the Warriors could bring him in early in the season on a prorated deal that would allow them to stay within the NBA's salary-cap rules.

  A 35-year-old journeyman, Seth Curry led the league in 3-point shooting accuracy last season, hitting 45.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc for the Charlotte Hornets.

  His career 3-point shooting percentage, 43.3 percent, ranks second among active players, trailing only Luke Kennard's 43.8 percent and just ahead of Stephen Curry's 43.2 percent. Seth Curry is seventh on the all-time list for 3-point shooting accuracy, a list topped by Golden State coach Steve Kerr (45.4 percent).

  Seth Curry is set to join his 10th NBA team. He broke into the league in 2013-14, playing one game each for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has subsequently suited up for the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas again, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas a third time and the Hornets.

  Last season, he averaged 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 15.6 minutes in 68 games (14 starts) for Charlotte.

  In 550 career games (224 starts), he puts up 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest.

  --Field Level Media

Despite 2025-26 being the final year of Steve Kerr's contract, the Golden State Warriors' head coach said he's comfortable with where things stand.

• "I don't anticipate any negotiation during the season," Kerr told reporters Tuesday on the opening day of training camp. "Who knows, maybe it all comes up at some point and they come to me. But I'm not the slightest bit concerned about it. I don't think about it. I just think it makes perfect sense for all of us (to wait)."

  Kerr has coached the Warriors to four NBA titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) in his 11 seasons at Golden State. In 2023-24, he was also coaching on an expiring deal until he and the Warriors negotiated a two-year, $35 million extension to take him through the 2025-26 campaign.

  "I'm very comfortable going into the season with a year left," Kerr said. "I'm so aligned with (general manager) Mike (Dunleavy) and (owner) Joe (Lacob). We talked about this -- there's no reason for discussion or concern. This is kind of a point in our relationship where let's just see how it is at the end of the year."

  The Warriors' current window to win more championships centers on three aging stars in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, the latter of whom was acquired at the trade deadline last winter.

  Kerr, who did television work prior to coaching, could also choose to retire on his own terms -- he turned 60 on Saturday -- but told reporters he is still fully invested in coaching.

  "I love my job," Kerr said. "I love what I'm doing every day. I can't wait to get to the building. Hopefully I'm here for another few years. But I think it makes sense for the organization and for me to see where this thing is at the end of the year -- where they are and where I am. Hopefully that means we run it back, we keep going with this group, that'd be awesome. But I like the fact we can do it how we want it.

  "However this ends it's going to be done in a really quality way," he added. "It's going to happen the right way. If it's meant for me to keep going, I'm going to keep going. If it's meant to be for the team to move on to someone else, there will be nothing but gratitude and appreciation. This makes it easy for everybody."

  --Field Level Media

Restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga will return to the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $48.5 million contract, ESPN and The Athletic reported Tuesday.

• Kuminga's contract includes a team option for the second year, the reports said, that allows the Warriors to pivot toward negotiating a fresh deal with the former lottery pick.

  ESPN previously reported that Golden State presented three contract frameworks to Kuminga: a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option on the third season and a guaranteed $48.3 million in the first two years; a two-year, $45 million deal with a team option on the second season; and a three-year, $54 million deal with no options.

  Kuminga, 22, was seeking a player option instead of a team option, but the Warriors stood firm. His agent, Aaron Turner, told "The Hoop Collective" earlier this month that Kuminga was prepared to sign the one-year, $7.9 qualifying offer that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

  He chose the two-year contract, which allows him to reach free agency sooner than the three-year pacts.

  Reports earlier in the offseason indicated that the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns had interest in trading for Kuminga, but the Warriors did not entertain sign-and-trade possibilities.

  It took time for the seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft to work into the Warriors' rotation, as he mostly came off the bench as a rookie on the most recent Golden State team to win a championship.

  In 258 regular-season games (84 starts), Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. That included 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds over 47 games (10 starts) in 2024-25, when he missed two months with an ankle injury.

  Kuminga hardly saw the court for the Warriors in their first-round upset of the Houston Rockets. But once Stephen Curry suffered an injury in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kuminga stepped into the rotation and averaged 20.8 points in 27.4 minutes per game as the Warriors lost in five.

  --Field Level Media

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has no desire to leave the Denver Nuggets.

• Jokic affirmed his commitment to the franchise at Denver's season-opening media day. The Serbian star center was asked if he'd sign a max extension next offseason that could pay him close to $300 million over four years.

  "I don't think about that. I think those contracts, extensions come as a reward, as something that is natural to the sport, especially in today's NBA with where you see the salary cap is going," Jokic, 30, said Monday as he ruled out a seismic future move.

  "My plan is to be with the Nuggets forever, so that's my answer."

  Denver drafted Jokic with the 41st overall pick in 2014. He's averaged more than 24 points and 10 rebounds for five consecutive seasons and was named Finals MVP when the Nuggets clinched the 2023 championship, a franchise first.

  The Nuggets are coming off a third straight 50-win campaign but were routed in Game 7 of the second round by the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They retooled Jokic's supporting cast in the summer by trading Michael Porter Jr. -- a cornerstone of the 2023 title team -- to the Brooklyn Nets and parting with aging guard Russell Westbrook, who remains unsigned.

  Depth pieces DeAndre Jordan, Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric no longer surround Jokic in the frontcourt.

  "There's a bunch of my friends that left -- DJ, Russ, Vlatko, Dario -- so I need to find some new friends," Jokic joked Monday.

  Denver's biggest addition, sweet-shooting power forward Cam Johnson, was the Nets' second-leading scorer with 18.8 points per game in 2024-25. A familiar face, versatile forward Bruce Brown, returned to the Nuggets after bouncing from Indiana to Toronto to New Orleans over the past two seasons.

  They'll complement the returning core of Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon, who helped Denver rank third in scoring last season while masking the squad's defensive deficiencies.

  "Your best players have to demand what the vibe will be daily," said David Adelman, who enters his first full season as the Nuggets' head coach.

  "They can't go into a shell and only worry about how they're doing ... They have to maintenance the team as much as I do."

  --Field Level Media

Despite a shortened offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder's players say they are ready to defend their first title in franchise history.

• The journey will be led by 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who says his goal is to win it all again.

  "It would suck to lose the NBA championship in 2026," Gilgeous-Alexander said on Monday at the Thunder media day. "That's the new focus. That's the new goal."

  While Gilgeous-Alexander was businesslike in his approach to the new season, his teammates spoke about using the offseason break to their advantage.

  Center Chet Holmgren, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $250 million in the offseason, focused on his body.

  "Last summer, I didn't have the time that I needed to kind of get my body to where it needed to be to feel great," Holmgren said. "I'd make all the same decisions again, but I didn't have the time that I needed to kind of get my body to where it needed to be to feel great. So that was a big emphasis this summer in the weight room."

  All-Star forward Jalen Williams spent his offseason rehabbing a torn ligament in his shooting wrist, but said Monday the injury may end up helping him in the long run.

  "I think it was a good blessing in disguise," Williams said. "It allowed me to take care of my body and not go full throttle. With the short offseason, it's kind of hard to manage how much you want to work out. So it actually made me take a break, which was nice."

  The Thunder won a franchise-best 68 games last season and begin their title defense on Oct. 21 when they host the Houston Rockets.

  --Field Level Media

Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he's not feeling any pressure to push his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

• "No pressure from (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens), (coach) Joe (Mazzulla), the team or the organization," Tatum said Monday at the Celtics' media day. "The most important thing is that I'm 100 percent."

  Tatum suffered the injury in May in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston lost the series to the New York Knicks.

  While Tatum downplayed any urgency he or the team may feel to get him back on the court, he did discuss his difficult recovery process.

  "I think the toughest part was at the beginning and kind of being in disbelief. For me, I had to accept it," he said. "I started to see a turning point, but then you're on crutches, and you're on a scooter, you're in a boot. And then you can drop one crutch and then you can drop both crutches ... That made me feel a little bit more normal."

  Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season. The Celtics were overhauled in the offseason amid lower expectations without their superstar. Veteran starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded without much in the way of established NBA talent added.

  "We have a lot of guys that are unproven," Stevens said. "They're younger and maybe not quite as experienced and maybe not quite as full of NBA wisdom."

  The Celtics are just 15 months removed from winning the 2023-24 championship. They'll rely heavily on the leadership of players from that title team like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and perennial All-Star Jaylen Brown.

  "We have a chance for other guys to step up," Brown said. "Empowering other guys, trusting your teammates more and trying to accelerate guys' learning curve and play some good basketball. I think that's what people want to see."

  --Field Level Media

Trae Young enters the 2025-26 season in an interesting duality with the Atlanta Hawks.

• He's entering the fourth year of a five-year, $215 million contract and has not been offered the four-year, $229 million extension he was eligible for this offseason.

  But he's also surrounded by quite possibly the most talent-rich roster he's had during his NBA career.

  The four-time All-Star point guard is choosing to focus on the latter as the season nears.

  "I don't know (about) the word disappointment. I mean, maybe, for sure," Young said Monday at Hawks media day when asked if he's disappointed to not have signed a contract extension. "For me, I'm more happy about the team that we got going into this season. I'm blessed, bro. I wasn't stressing about anything. If something happened, it happened. If it didn't, I still got time."

  Young, 27, is coming off his seventh NBA season during which he led the league in assists with a career-best 11.6 per game. He averaged 24.2 points and 1.2 steals and finished fourth in voting for NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

  The Hawks lost in the play-in tournament in each of the last two seasons. They've failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs since their stunning run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

  In an effort to break through that ceiling, Atlanta made some notable moves in Onsi Saleh's first offseason as general manager after he was promoted from assistant GM in April when Landry Fields was fired.

  The Hawks added forward Kristaps Porzingis (19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, career-best 41.2 percent from 3-point range last season) in a trade with the Boston Celtics. They acquired guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game last season) from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a sign-and-trade transaction.

  "I wanted to be in an area where I could contribute to winning," Alexander-Walker said Monday. "Atlanta kind of ticked every box for me."

  The Hawks also signed free agent guard Luke Kennard, a 43.8 percent career 3-point shooter over eight NBA seasons, to further deepen their rotation. Pairing these additions and first-round pick Asa Newell with promising young returning pieces in Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu has Atlanta being viewed as a trendy team in the Eastern Conference.

  "I'm focused on this team. I'm focused on right now. I'm blessed. I got a great team going into the season, one that you can't really say I've had (before)," Young said. "So I'm even more excited about that. Who knows what the future is for me? But right now, I'm here and I'm present like me and Coach (Quin Snyder) have been talking about. I'm ready to go."

  Young is set to earn $46 million this season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for the 2026-27 season.

  --Field Level Media

Kawhi Leonard said the allegation that he signed up for a no-show job with a now-bankrupt company to help the Los Angeles Clippers circumvent the salary cap is nothing but a conspiracy theory.

• At the team's preseason media day Monday, Leonard spoke publicly for the first time since reporting by the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out" linked an endorsement deal Leonard had with sustainability services company Aspiration to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneling him an extra $28 million.

  "It's easy for me (not to be distracted)," Leonard said. "I don't read headlines or do conspiracy theories or anything like that. It's about the season and what we've got ahead of us right now. Tomorrow we'll start camp, and see what we got."

  The NBA is now probing the deal, which Ballmer has claimed he had no knowledge of, despite initially introducing Leonard to Aspiration in 2021. In September 2021, the Clippers announced a $300 million partnership with Aspiration, around the same time Leonard signed a four-year, $173 million extension with the Clippers.

  Among the questions Leonard faced at his press conference Monday was whether he knew what the endorsement deal required him to do.

  "I understand the full contract and the services I had to do," Leonard said. "Like I said, I don't deal with the conspiracies or clickbait analysts or journalism that's going on. So that's what it is."

  He then stated he disagreed with the notion he was not asked to do anything as part of the contract.

  "I don't think it's accurate. But, it's old," Leonard said. "This is all new to you guys. The company went bankrupt a while ago, so, we already knew this was going to happen."

  Aspiration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March and its co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was arrested on charges of defrauding investors.

  Leonard confirmed not only that the deal with Aspiration existed, but that he was owed "more than" $7 million by the now-bankrupt group.

  Like Ballmer earlier this month, Leonard said he welcomed the NBA's investigation.

  "The NBA's gonna do their job. None of us did no wrongdoing. And, yeah, that's it," Leonard said. "We invite the investigations. It's not gonna be a distraction for me or the rest of the team."

  --Field Level Media

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson welcomed Victor Wembanyama back to the court and said the All-Star was cleared by the team and league to return from deep vein thrombosis.

• "Victor's cleared," Johnson said of his plan for Wembanyama in training camp. "He's been cleared by our medical team and by the league. ... He's been ramping up. He's been in a really good place."

  Wembanyama was shut down in February and averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, an NBA-leading 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his second season.

  Wembanyama underwent surgery in March after being diagnosed with the blood clotting issue in his right shoulder. He announced in mid-July he was cleared by the Spurs to play basketball for the first time in four months.

  Wembanyama played in 46 games before the medical diagnosis in February forced him to miss the rest of the season and San Antonio finished 13th in the Western Conference.

  "I can assure you no one has trained like I have this summer," Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 said on Monday. "I'm so much under control and my conditioning is better. What I have done this summer is world class."

  The return of Wembanyama is welcome news for the league, but there was a bit of negative news for his opponents on Monday. The 21-year-old grew from his draft-day height of 7 feet, 3 1/2 inches and is officially 7-foot-4. He's now tied with Grizzlies center Zach Edey as the tallest active player in the league.

  The Spurs drafted Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick and signed point guard De'Aaron Fox to a four-year, $229 million contract. Fox averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds after joining the Spurs via trade from the Sacramento Kings.

  Harper said Monday he is "feeling good" after undergoing thumb surgery and doesn't anticipate being limited in preseason.

  He had surgery on his left pinkie this summer and is currently not expected to play in the preseason while recovering from a right hamstring injury.

  Fox, who is set to begin his ninth season, said Monday he doesn't expect to "be ready for opening night."

  The Spurs open the 2025-26 season on Oct. 22 against the Mavericks in Dallas.

  --Field Level Media

LeBron James played with son Bronny James last season in an historic first in basketball history, but the future Hall of Famer is not looking to prolong his career to play with his second son, Bryce.

• "No, I'm not waiting on Bryce," James said Monday to a reporter at the Los Angeles Lakers media day. "He has his own timeline. I've got my timeline. I don't know if they quite match up."

  Bryce James is at Arizona and preparing to play his freshman season, so there's a possibility he could be drafted into the NBA next summer. LeBron James turns 41 in December.

  LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 42,184 points, has not decided if he will retire following the upcoming season. In 70 games last season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists to rank in the top 22 in each category.

  Preparing for his first full season playing alongside fellow superstar Luka Doncic, James will become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 seasons when he suits up for opening night Oct. 21 against the visiting Golden State Warriors.

  James, who has played in 1,562 regular-season games, is 50 shy of breaking Hall of Fame member Robert Parish's NBA record.

  He is a 21-time All-Star, four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champion.

  James entered the NBA as an 18-year-old after being selected No. 1 in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

  --Field Level Media

During his first media day with the Houston Rockets, star forward Kevin Durant said he is open to signing a contract extension with his new team.

• On the occasion of his 37th birthday, it was Durant who brought the presents to his new home city, saying he is willing to make the stay longer than the one year remaining on his current four-year, $194.2 million contract.

  "I do see myself signing a contract extension," Durant said when asked Monday. "I can't tell you exactly when that will happen, but I do see it happening."

  According to Yahoo Sports, Houston general manager Rafael Stone declined to discuss any contract extension possibilities.

  Durant, who was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Rockets in July, is a 15-time All-Star, who won the 2014 MVP as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  In 17 NBA seasons, Durant has averaged 27.2 points with 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists over 1,123 games (1,120 starts) for the Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics (2007-16), Golden State Warriors (2016-19), Brooklyn Nets (2020-23) and Suns. He averaged 26.6 points with 5.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 62 games in Phoenix last season.

  The Rockets missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons before advancing last season under head coach Ime Udoka.

  "Just seeing the quick progression in the franchise from where it was in the Chris Paul, James Harden era," Durant said. "Seeing when Ime got here and how it turned around so fast. And I have some connections here in the organization, people who I have worked with already. So it just felt organic and natural coming into the gym."

  --Field Level Media

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd downplayed reports that star point guard Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in his return from a torn ACL.

• Addressing the matter at Media Day on Monday, Kidd said Irving is doing "quite well" but that labeling him "ahead of schedule is not fair."

  The team has not provided an official timeline for Irving, who sustained the season-ending injury to his left knee on March 3. Earlier reports suggested an optimistic return date in early January.

  Irving, 33, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 50 starts before the injury, garnering his ninth All-Star selection.

  This summer, Irving declined his $43 million player option for 2025-26 and agreed to a new three-year, $119 million deal with the Mavericks.

  Meanwhile, Dallas centers Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively have both been cleared for training camp.

  Davis is returning from July 8 eye surgery and told reporters Monday he will wear protective goggles for the rest of his career.

  Davis, 32, a 10-time All-Star, averaged 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 blocks in nine starts for Dallas after being acquired in the deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

  Lively, 21, underwent surgery on July 15 to clean up bone spurs in his right foot. He averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 boards and 2.4 assists in 36 games (29 starts) in his second season with Dallas in 2024-25.

  The Mavericks and 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg will open the regular season at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 22.

  --Field Level Media

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent from media day Monday after being diagnosed with COVID, Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst said.

• Antetokounmpo is currently in Greece and Horst said the Bucks were trying to make him available to the media via Zoom.

  With training camp getting underway, the Bucks did not indicate how long the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player might be absent. Milwaukee's preseason opener is Oct. 6 at Miami.

  Antetokounmpo, 30, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 67 games in 2024-25 before Milwaukee suffered its third straight first-round playoff exit.

  After much offseason buzz about a potential trade, Antetokounmpo appears set to enter his 13th season with the Bucks. He is under contract through 2026-27 and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. The nine-time All-Star forward carries cap hits of $54.1 million in 2025-26 and $58.5 million in 2026-27.

  The Bucks open the regular season at home against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 22.

  --Field Level Media

Entering his 19th season in the NBA, free agent Al Horford will be the Warriors' starting center after making a verbal commitment to Golden State on Sunday, per an ESPN report.

• Horford's agent, Jason Glushon, told ESPN on Sunday that the 39-year-old will sign a multiyear deal to head west after spending seven of the last nine seasons with the Boston Celtics. Horford won a title with Boston in 2024.

  Per the report, Horford's agent and the Warriors have yet to finalize the contract and are awaiting a decision from restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

  One of four players in NBA history with 900 made 3-pointers and 1,300 blocks along with Rasheed Wallace, Brook Lopez and Clifford Robinson, Horford should blend in nicely with the Warriors' core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green. The veteran 6-foot-9, 240-pound center has shot 41 percent from beyond the arc and sunk more than 100 3-pointers in each of the past three seasons.

  Last season with the Celtics, Horford -- a five-time All-Star -- started 42 of 60 games and averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while connecting on 36.3 percent of his 3-point attempts.

  Over his 18 seasons, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Atlanta Hawks has averaged 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range in 1,138 games (1,078 starts).

  Horford spent his first nine seasons with Atlanta (2007-16), then joined the Celtics for three seasons (2016-19) before playing one season apiece for the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2020-21). Named to the 2017-18 All-Defensive Team, he rejoined Boston for the 2021-22 season.

  -Field Level Media

Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang's injured left foot will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team said Saturday.

• Niang, 32, sustained a stress reaction in the fourth metatarsal during offseason training and conditioning.

  Acquired in an Aug. 6 trade with the Boston Celtics, Niang previously played for the Jazz from 2018-21.

  Niang averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 79 games (three starts) last season with Cleveland and Atlanta.

  He has career averages of 7.4 points and 2.5 boards and is a 39.9 percent 3-point shooter in 544 games (32 starts) with the Indiana Pacers, Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Cavaliers and Hawks.

  The Jazz open the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 22.

  --Field Level Media

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address knee synovitis and is expected to be re-evaluated in six weeks, ESPN reported on Friday.

• The Grizzlies announced Friday that Clarke was completely healed from a high-grade right PCL sprain that was sustained on March 19, an injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season.

  The Grizzlies didn't stop there on Friday. They announced two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to be sidelined four-to-six more weeks with a toe injury, and center Zach Edey will be out six-to-nine more weeks as he recovers from his left ankle surgery on June 7.

  Clarke, 29, averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 62.1 percent from the field in 64 games (18 starts) last season.

  He is averaging 10.2 points for his career with 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 20.8 minutes in 307 regular-season games (48 starts) in parts of six seasons with Memphis.

  The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Clarke 21st overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and traded him the same summer to the Grizzlies. He was voted to the NBA All-Rookie first team that season.

  Jackson, 26, was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. He was an All-Star that season and again in 2024-25.

  Jackson averaged 22.2 points per game last season, slightly behind the career-best 22.5 he put up one season earlier. He is averaging 18.5 points in 407 games (398 starts) over seven seasons in Memphis.

  Jackson also has career averages of 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocked shots, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

  The 7-foot-4 Edey, 23, proved to be a pivotal presence as a rookie for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across only 21.5 minutes per game. He started 55 of his 66 games.

  --Field Level Media

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is expected to be sidelined four-to-eight weeks after tearing his left hamstring during an offseason workout this week, the team announced Friday.

• The higher end of the timeline would result in Henderson missing as much as a month of regular season action.

  Henderson, 21, averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 assists in 66 games (10 starts) last season.

  He has contributed 13.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 128 career games (42 starts) since being selected by the Trail Blazers with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

  --Field Level Media

Philadelphia 76ers standouts Joel Embiid and Paul George said there's no certain timeline for their respective returns to action as both players work their way back from knee surgery.

• Embiid, 31, played a career-low 19 games last season due to a left knee injury and foot sprain. His season came to an end in February after he averaged 23.8 points (his fewest since 2019-20) and 8.2 rebounds (his fewest since his 2016-17 rookie season), snapping a streak of seven straight All-Star nods.

  The 2022-23 MVP had arthroscopic knee surgery in April and said he feels pretty good and is taking things day by day in his recovery.

  "There's not necessarily an expectation; it's more about making sure everything is right and doing everything right and then go from there," Embiid said. "Obviously the goal is to play consistently and not be the position that we were last year."

  George, 35, played 41 games in the first year of his four-year, $212 million contract he signed with the Sixers last offseason. He averaged 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game before his season ended in March due to left knee and left adductor injuries which required injections.

  The nine-time All-Star then sustained a left knee injury during a workout in July, undergoing surgery that month that will sideline him for the start of the team's training camp.

  "I'm getting better and better. Feeling stronger and stronger," George said. "This next couple of weeks is very important, leading into the start of the season, opening night, all of that stuff. All I can do is just focus on doing that, day after day, taking it one day at a time. I do think I will be at a good place, hopefully, earlier than later."

  Injuries derailed Philadelphia's 2024-25 season, finishing 24-58 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. The Sixers lucked out in the draft lottery, jumping up two spots to land the No. 3 pick, selecting Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.

  The 76ers open preseason with a pair of exhibitions versus the Knicks on Oct. 2 and 4 in Abu Dhabi. They begin the regular season Oct. 22 at Boston.

  --Field Level Media

The Miami Heat signed former first-round pick center/forward Precious Achiuwa and released rookie guard Gabe Madsen on Thursday.

• A first-round pick (20th overall) by Miami in 2020 out of Memphis, Achiuwa was traded to the Toronto Raptors in August 2021 and spent the past season and a half with the New York Knicks, who acquired him in December 2023.

  Achiuwa gives the Heat more interior size to complement All-Star center Bam Adebayo. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

  Achiuwa, 26, averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 20.5 minutes in 57 games (10 starts) for the Knicks last season. He has career averages of 7.6 points and 5.7 boards in 320 games (72 starts).

  The Heat had signed Madsen, who played the past four seasons at the University of Utah, on Sept. 11.

  --Field Level Media